The seeds of ‘Ong Bak’ were first planted in the mind
of director Prachya Pinkaew when, as a teenager, he sat in his native
village, watching the films of Thai action movie hero Phanna Rithikrai.
Phanna was the Bruce Lee of Thailand. Prachya was most impressed
with ‘Born to Fight’, which Phanna starred in, directed
and produced. What made Phanna special was that, in his films, all
the fight scenes were performed ‘for real’, without the
air of special effects and camera tricks. This contrasted sharply
with the more stylized Hong Kong martial arts movies that were popular
in Thailand at the time. The young Prachya vowed that, when he became
a filmmaker, he would make a movie that would make the same kind
of impact that ‘Born To Fight’ had made on him.

Prachya subsequently moved to Bangkok and became a director. When
he finally met Phanna in person, they found they shared a common
dream of using film to bring greater glory to Thai martial arts. “Since
I was a youngster, I never did anything by halves,” says Phanna. “I
invested my own money in my early films. I didn’t really know
anything about filmmaking when I made ‘Born To Fight’.
I just wanted to find a way to express my life experiences on film.”

As Phanna got older, he realized that he needed to find new blood
to perform the action scenes in his films, but none of his discoveries
worked out. “In the end, I was left training only one young
guy, with no real hope of his ever becoming a movie star.”

Tony had been training under Phanna, in both kung fu and movie stunts,
since the age of 10. In him, Phanna had found his perfect cinematic
alter ego. After seeing Tony Jaa in action, Prachya set about crafting
a vehicle that would do justice to both his idol and his young protégé.

“For four years, I worked very closely with Phanna and Tony,” reveals
Prachya. “It became more than a film to us. We became like
family. I realized that I couldn’t approach (‘Ong Bak’)
as just another piece of filmmaking. For Phanna and Tony, this was
the fulfillment of a life-long dream, and I wanted to share their
energy and determination with the audience.

Round two: Perspiration

Prior to production, Phanna and Tony put together their own stunt
team, and painstakingly and painfully choreographed the film’s
action sequences. “I focused on the beauty of the classical
Muay Thai movements,” reveals Phanna. “I tried to stay
true to the integrity of the art, because I knew this would be the
first real Thai Boxing film. I wanted very punch and kick to be crystal
clear to the audience.” All the scenes were videotaped then
shown to director Prachya for his input. “Sometimes we would
show the scene to Prachya, and we thought it was okay, but it wouldn’t
be up to his standard!” remembers Phanna. “Then we’d
have to shoot it all over again!” Unlike many of his contemporaries,
Tony refuses to use wires, CGI or camera tricks to enhance his action.
Everything you see on-screen is real. Tony and his stunt team have
the bruises, burns and scars to prove it.

“Every scene serves as a showcase for different movements
from classical Muay Thai,” says Prachya. “Originally,
when I conceived the film, I didn’t think about using Thai
Boxing. Then, when I started working with Phanna and Tony, they shot
some videotape footage of the kind of fights they wanted to do. Once
I saw these unique Muay Thai movements, I was so impressed. I was
impressed with the moves, and the fact that Tony could execute them
so naturally, without wires or other tricks. That became the ‘style’ for
the film’s fight scenes.”

Prachya broke down the different Muay Thai movements in terms of
their cinematic application. “Each action has a different purpose,” he
reveals. “Some are for counter attacks. Some of them are first
strike moves. Some actions, like the guard, are taken to fend off
an opponent.” Even the smallest details added to the effect
Prachya and his team was aiming for. “If you look at the way
Tony holds his fists, it’s different from Chinese kung fu,” says
the director, “and it’s different from western boxing.
Every time he punches, he straightens the whole arm. You have to
watch the fights closely to catch the details in the action. The
guard position, the way he stamps the ground, these are all trademarks
of classical Muay Thai.”

The production took great care in finding an appropriate variety
of opponents for Ting to fight. One of the most memorable is a
hirsute Wildman from the west, ‘Big Bear’. “Big Bear really
looks down on Thai Boxing,” says Prachya of the character. “He
wants to challenge all the Thai fighters, and we see sexually abusing
a Thai waitress. Our hero has to defend the pride of the Thai people.
The move he uses in that scene is called ‘Bata Loop Pak’,
which means ‘Foot Touches Face’. It’s actually
a great insult in Thai culture to touch someone with your foot, so
this is the perfect gesture for such a rude person!”

An early standout sequence in the film is the one where some gangsters
chase Tony and George down a market street. “We tried to keep
the setting as natural as possible,” says Prachya. “We
wanted to reflect the real livelihoods and lifestyles of the people
on these streets. This added a lot to the mood of the scene. The
bad guys are very similar to those seen in other Thai movies, but
the way we use them in this sequence is different. The feeling is
lighter. It’s not a matter of life and death. I think the scene
works well, and people find it very funny.”

A major stunt that will stay in the audience’s mind is one
set in a deserted gas station. Ting sets himself on fire before delivering
a burning drop kick to his opponent. “I actually got burned
during that scene,” remembers Tony. “I really had to
concentrate, because, once my pants were on fire, the flames spread
upwards very fast, and burnt my eyebrows, my eyelashes and my nose.
Then we had to do a couple more takes to get it right!” While
Tony and his team worked on his stunts, Prachya focused on the design
the scene as a whole. “It’s important to link the action
scenes correctly,” reveals the director. “First we
have Tony setting his pants on fire and delivering the kick, then,
after he extinguishes the flames, he does this spinning reverse
kick on another guy. In between, we have the second guy trying
to strangle him, which made for a good transition moment.”

The Seng Stunt Team coordinated the standout ‘tuk-tuk’ chase
sequence, featuring the unique three-wheeled Bangkok taxis. This
group specializes in vehicular stunts, and previously worked on several
Hollywood movies, including the two James Bond films shot on location
in Thailand. “The ‘tuk tuk’ is a very traditional
means of transport in Thailand, so we didn’t want to spoil
its image,” says the director. “In other films, you usually
see the tuk-tuk raise its front wheel, but, in our film, it’s
the rear wheels that rise. This presented quite a challenge. It proved
impossible to use any kind of remote control device to maintain acceleration.
In the end, each tuk-tuk in every scene, even the crashing scenes,
is actually driven by one of our stuntmen.”

Round three: Improvisation

During the casting process, director Prachya put together an eclectic
group of players, mixing veterans with newcomers. Popular TV comic
Petchthai Wongkamlao gets to shine in the challenging role of George,
the street hustler who finally regains his honour. “My character
is someone who has forgotten his own roots,” reveals the actor. “He
just takes advantage of everyone around him.” Prachya remembers
being surprised by the different facets of Petchthai’s character. “We
all know him as Thailand’s number one comedian,” says
Prachya, “but, when we met, I found out who he really is, and
I tried to put something of his real self in the script.” Petchthai,
who has since made his own directorial debut with ‘Bodyguard’,
actually provided some input for a key street chase sequence in ‘Ong
Bak’. “Originally, George was meant to just run off in
another direction,” remembers Prachya, “but Petchthai
suggested that he should be following Tony. From this idea, we came
up with more physical comedy to make his character funnier.”

Final round: Acclamation

The huge success of ‘Ong Bak’ put Thai martial arts
movies back on the world cinema map, and established a major new
action hero in the person of Tony Jaa.